Executives knew what they were getting into with Lynch, at least to a degree. He was already known for weird, surreal movies but Twin Peaks style allowed it to be accessible. The first episode was a pilot that could double as a movie in case it didn't pan out and was aired way before the rest of the series and because it was such a sensation the show was ordered to series.

The network did meddle, absolutely, but Lynch had largely lost interest in Season 2 and went off to make a movie which led to bad blood between him and some of the cast for "abandoning" the show, but he still consulted and directed the finale and a few other S2 episodes. But his lack of guidance was clear in S2 with the wannabe Lynch wacky plots.

S3 is the best because it's Lynch unfiltered, made entirely on his terms. It's still amazing to me that season was made and aired on television, a true testament of how far the medium has come.